USB TV Tuners?

TreeUK · 4 May 2006 at 12:38

Looking to get a usb tv tuner that will receive Digital TV, allow me to record to disk in a decent format. Advance features like timeshifting and teletext a bonus.

Anyone have any experience with these? I don't have an external aerial on the roof but I may do in the future, so recommendations about signal boosting appreciated.

Thanks

Tristan

gam3r · 4 May 2006 at 14:03

Hmm, a NOVA-T USB by Hauppauge sounds good for you. Timeshifts etc nicely check out the site.

As for the aerial, you could easily go buy a amplified aerial and plug it in from any high street electrical shops, this is what im doing and it works well.

TreeUK · 4 May 2006 at 17:44

Thanks for the suggestion gam3r, they don't actually have any of those on the site at the moment otherwise I'd be on it.

Has anyone else had any joy with any others?

Energize · 4 May 2006 at 19:00

All tv tuners at the moment record in mpeg-2 because that is what it was broadcast in so it just saves it without altering. Mpeg-2 is a pretty poor codec so it takes up about 2gb an hour.

GuruJockStrap · 4 May 2006 at 19:04

Whatever you get just make sure the drivers are BDA.

This means you can use the tuner with 3rd party programs like Windows Media Centre, Media Portal etc.

Quite important as the software that comes with USB tuners are usually pretty poor.